Does treatment truly reduce sexual offending? Current knowledge and future directions
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Training Description
A number of studies have concluded that treatment for sexually offending behavior successfully reduces recidivism. However, a number of meta-analyses have also concluded that the evidence for the effectiveness of sexual offender treatment is weak at best, mostly due to inadequate experimental designs. So what are the empirically-supported effective components of treatment, and what should we do to improve our practices? This seminar will provide an overview of the components and the empirical evidence that support (or not!) their use in treatment. Treatment approaches and responsivity issues will also be addressed as these are integral components that must be taken into account when designing and implementing an empirically-supported treatment program designed to reduce sexual recidivism. The seminar will conclude with a discussion of the implications and need for future research.
Presenter Biographies
Franca Cortoni, Ph.D., C.Psych received her doctorate in clinical and forensic psychology from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Since 1989, she has worked with and conducted research on female and male sexual offenders. In 2007, after many years with Correctional Services Canada, she moved to the School of Criminology at the Université de Montréal where she is Professor of criminological psychology. She is also a Research Fellow at the International Centre of Comparative Criminology. Her research focuses on the factors associated with the development of sexual offending behavior, risk assessment, and treatment of both male and female sexual offenders. She has published extensively and presented at numerous national and international conferences on these issues. She was the 2018-2019 President of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA). Her latest project focuses on the effectiveness of treatment to reduce sexual offending behavior among men.
Learning Objectives
At the end of this training, participants will be able to…
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- Review and apply research findings for your clinical practice.
- Discuss the relevance of considering the empirical evidence that supports dynamic risk factors in treatment as well as responsivity and treatment approaches issues
- Discuss best current therapeutic practices for the treatment of those who have sexually offended.